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Graglia: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Biella, Piemonte. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Graglia

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Via Casale Campiglie 1, Graglia.

Graglia, the sanctuary and the hills west of Biella

Graglia climbs the pre-Alps west of Biella, from the hill belt up to the woods and pastures higher up. It is known for the Sanctuary of Graglia, a large religious complex on the mountainside that draws pilgrims and day-trippers. The village has a centre of stone houses and several scattered hamlets, and Biella remains the reference for work, secondary schools and the hospital.

Altitude shapes life at home. Climate zone F, the coldest in the Italian classification, means long winters with the heating on for many months, so insulation, the boiler or heat pump and the windows have a big effect on running costs. Anyone buying a house on the slope should also check access in snow, the gradient of the land and retaining walls.

There were 1,431 residents in 2023, down 9.9% on the 1,588 of 2011. The Biella area has an old population and Graglia follows suit: an average age of 51.4 against 49.7 for the province, with over-65s at 32.7%. Foreign nationals make up 2.2%.

For earthquakes the province of Biella is split, with 24 municipalities in zone 3 and 50 in zone 4 of the Civil Protection scale. Graglia is in zone 3, with a low expected ground acceleration of 0.043 g. Roof upkeep, damp in stone walls and the state of the services matter more than earthquakes.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are available and the report finds the land parcel from the address, also checking the official landslide maps on the slopes.

Key points

  • Pre-Alps west of Biella, home of the sanctuary.
  • Climate zone F: long winters, insulation is key.
  • Residents down 9.9% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.043 g.

Overview

Graglia is a municipality in the province of Biella, in Piemonte. At the end of 2023 it had 1,431 residents, ranked 28 of 74 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Graglia is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 24 of 74 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.043 g, a low value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 9.9%. The estimated average age is 51 years, higher than the province average (50). 33% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 2.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Graglia declared an average taxable income of 23,560 euros, below the provincial average (25,111 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Graglia is in climate zone F, with 3,079 heating degree days, with no limits on when heating may be used. The same table puts the town hall at 596 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Graglia has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy.

The data shows no grocery shops and supermarkets within the municipality, against a provincial average of 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 3.4% of the land in Graglia, compared with 8.0% in the province and 6.7% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

Graglia is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Piemonte in 2023. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Graglia.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Graglia: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Graglia are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 31 inhabited census areas in Graglia. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 61 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 54.3%
  • good 45.7%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 096028. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.